A blockchain is a distributed network of computers that all have a full copy of a ledger (think debit, credit, total). Blockchain technology is incredibly secure and is "trustless" when implemented in a public way, that is, it does not give trust to a central authority. Therefore voters can be assured that when they cast their vote, their vote is immutable. In a public blockchain results are near-real time and publicly viewable (think Voter1234 voted for Candidate 1).

This technology is the first that could allow online voting in a secure and efficient manner. This technology could apply to many other government functions (e.g. city council voting, titles, licenses, etc.) as well. Such systems could significantly reduce the cost of voting board activities, improve the "customer experience" of citizens/businesses/government leadership, and provide the security/transparency in voting that many seek. This technology could also benefit the environment by reduction or elimination of paper ballots and reduction or elimination of gas spent driving to polling places.

As with most technology implementations the positives seem so beneficial that it's hard to deny using it. I'm curious if there are any negatives or unintended consequences of using this voting system. Just because we can use such teleology doesn't always mean we should be using it. Thanks for the post and you've definitely sparked my interest blockchain voting.

Andrew - yes, there certainly are pros and cons. This article discusses some of the limitations, but I would argue the big concern (fraud/theft) is easier under the current system and can be very constrained via block chain when managed appropriately.http://www.historynet.com/bitcoin-history-works-pros-cons.htm

This is my first Geo:Code meeting so I'm curious what exactly do we plan to do on this proposal. Are we going to code something? Or is this a presentation/discussion/workshop on the use of block-chain in e-voting? If we did get something going, either this weekend or later, who would take this work and make it be used in MN (for example). Would local or state of MN just use something that is created in this fashion? Would there be need for validating this work?